State championship notebook: Early wake-up call for Mustangs

Friday

Nov 30, 2012 at 12:01 AMNov 30, 2012 at 9:03 PM

An 11 a.m. kickoff in Winston-Salem means East Lincoln will depart the school at 6:45 a.m. for Saturday’s 2A state championship game against Tarboro. The Mustangs are saying all the right things as they to not let the early start bother them.

Phillip Gardner

An 11 a.m. kickoff in Winston-Salem means East Lincoln will depart the school at 6:45 a.m. for Saturday’s 2A state championship game against Tarboro. The Mustangs are saying all the right things as they to not let the early start bother them.

“They’re getting up about an hour earlier than they would to go to school, which is not much,” head coach Mike Byus said.

The team held morning practices during the preseason, and the Thanksgiving holiday last week forced two early practices. At least the Mustangs face a much shorter travel time than their opponent. East Lincoln will drive about 90 minutes while Tarboro requires a three-hour bus ride. It was uncertain whether Tarboro was leaving Friday evening or this morning.

“Here’s the big thing: at 11:01, nobody’s going to know what time it is,” Byus said.

More records for Mustangs

Recent research by the Gazette sports staff has confirmed that East Lincoln senior quarterback Garrett Young’s 81 career passing touchdowns have shattered the Lincoln County record. The county’s previous highest total was 59 by Lincolnton’s Josh Atkins from 1992 to 1994.

Young’s 43 passing touchdowns this season also represent a county record, surpassing the 37 by Lincolnton’s Zack Gibson in 2005. That means Young and Gibson were tied after East Lincoln’s first-round playoff game against Wheatmore, when Young tossed five TD passes.

Gibson still holds one Lincoln County record with six passing touchdowns in a single game, against West Lincoln in 2005. Young has passed for five touchdowns in four separate games this season. Previously, Lincoln County had seen only four single-game efforts of five or more passing touchdowns.

On the receiving end, Young’s top three targets rank in the top six for single-season receiving touchdowns. Tyler Brock is tied for second with 16, Jesse Earnhardt ranks fifth with 14 and Chazz Surratt is sixth with 12. Charles Briggs holds the county record with 19 receiving touchdowns for Lincolnton in 1993.

How’s that knee?

Young has worn a brace on his injured left knee since the Oct. 12 game against Lake Norman Charter. How does that knee feel after seven games?

“I think it’s got one game left,” Young said.

Young said the knee feels about the same as it has since he returned from the recurring injury. He dislocated his left kneecap early in the Sept. 28 game against Lincolnton and sat out the remainder of that game and the next one before returning.

Whether he undergoes surgery after the season is still uncertain. Young wants to enjoy one last season of basketball and baseball, but his future college coaches — whoever they might be — could dictate how he spends the remainder of his senior year. He believes Wingate is nearing an offer.